[Elecraft] Shack Equipment Storage

[David Haines]

David is right on all counts, from my experience.  Anybody with an 
unheated workshop here in Maine knows the problem of a mild spell 
causing water to condense on a tractor that has been sitting in a 10 
degree F. barn.  One answer is never to let your equipment get too cold, 
hence a heater, maybe even a heating pad under the K3? Another is to use 
a vapor barrier to keep the moisture out of the shack?  Maybe keep the 
equipment in an airtight chest?  This can get complicated and depends 
very much on local conditions, but deserves attention.

Another david
KC1DNY

On 1/27/2021 12:42 PM, David Olean wrote:
> I would worry about condensation. I live in New England. New England 
> is the only part of the country except for the coastline in WA, where 
> there is a positive water budget typically. In other words, more rain 
> falls than is evaporated or used up.  My ham shack is 1/2 mile from my 
> house and was unheated. It was hard on the equipment.  Very hot wx was 
> not a problem but cold temps and then the arrival of warmer and moist 
> air would produce water droplets all over the gear.  Transformers 
> would stay very cold and the water would drip off of them when the 
> temps warmed a little bit. Anything that used high voltage was subject 
> to explosions if you were foolhardy to turn them on. It was all due to 
> the water.
>
> What I did was install a propane heater with a special thermostat that 
> allowed operation down to 32 degrees. I set the temp to around 40 F.  
> That keeps most of the condensation at bay. I also put in a solar 
> heater on a south facing outside wall, and it pumps warmer air inside 
> if the Sun is out. On a sunny winter day in January it will be 50 
> degrees in the room during the day. I have had no trouble with this 
> setup. I am just about through with my 1st 100 lb propane tank and 
> January is just about finished, so the cost is not too bad. You must 
> use a vented propane heater. The unvented ones, or portable K1 space 
> heaters like Kerosuns etc all produce water vapor and are no good for 
> what we want.   Maybe in a desert climate things will be different, 
> but that is what works for me.
>
> I have an unheated room as well, but only keep rugged stuff there in 
> winter. Homebrew KW amps etc seem to do OK. I would never leave a KX 
> anything there however. Been there. Done that!
>
> K1WHS
>
> On 1/27/2021 10:18 AM, Joseph Shuman via Elecraft wrote:
>> There is a difference between stupidity and ignorance.  I claim 
>> ignorance.
>>
>> My shack is a room in a barn attic space, separate from the house, no 
>> HVAC so cooling is one window and heating is a space heater (when I 
>> am working the waves).  Otherwise storage is ambient temp in the 
>> room.  Winter temps typically down to low 20s, summer up to 90s.  
>> Sunny summer temp in the shack gets up to 120.  My concerns are 
>> leaving the KX2 (#3007) and KXPA100 (#2802) in the shack and the 
>> effects of daily cycling the temp, especially in winter.  My 
>> “internet research” (maybe an oxymoron?) has such varied opinions it 
>> is worthless.  What say you, my fellow Elecraft faithful?
>>
>> Keeping Watch-
>> shu
>> Joe Shuman, NZ8P
>>
>> Unless someone like you
>> cares a whole awful lot,
>> nothing is going to get better.
>> It’s not.        -Dr. Seuss
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